Terra Mortis II: The Gathering

Brady came to in the back of a truck. The U-Haul had pulled in behind the bikers. The door was open and two bikers stood guard over him. However, any idea of escape was out as he realized that he was chained to the wall. As Brady started to test his chains, fire began to shoot through his left shoulder.

"Take it easy," said a hoarse voice next to him.

Brady looked over to the speaker to see that it was Lisa. At least the blurry image resembled her; he had lost his glasses in the battle. Fortunately, she was close enough that he could make out most of her features. Her face was red and her eyes were swollen from continuous crying. She too was chained to the wall.

"I'm glad you are alive," Coop said on the other side of Brady.

"Coop! I gave you orders to fall back," Brady said.

"Akira and I couldn't leave you by yourself to take out the half-track," Coop said in a low voice.

"Where's Akira?" Brady asked before he could catch himself. He half remembered seeing him lying on the side of the hill dead. His torso all torn up.

"He took a bullet, you are lucky you just got a big sliver in your shoulder," Coop responded sadly.

"It's my fault," Lisa began to cry again.

The men at the back of the truck started laughing as Lisa sobbed uncontrollably.

"Now, now," Brady began. "It's not your fault. How'd you know that they would bring the half-track to the town?"

Lisa only started crying harder.

Brady never cared for Lisa one way or the other. He had always seen her as a threat only to Nori. So he kept a close eye on Lisa, but she was always pleasant around Brady or anyone else. Seeing her so distraught pained his heart almost as much as the wound in his shoulder.

"Please, Lisa. If it was anyone's fault it was mine," Brady comforted.

"You don't understand. It is my fault. I told them," Lisa looked up at Brady's surprised face through her puffy eyes.

"I told them where to hit us and how. It was for the greater good," Lisa sobbed out in a choked voice.

"What? I don't understand..." Brady stammered trying to comprehend what Lisa was saying.

"I had to get rid of her and his damn army," Lisa said.

Brady just stared up at her unbelieving what he was hearing.

"Don't look at me like that. You don't understand," Lisa said as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes with her chained arms. But she had to settle for wiping them on her shoulder.

"I'm pregnant with Nathan's child," Lisa finally said.

Brady didn't think he could stand any more surprises. Nevertheless, they just kept bombarding him. His head was already spinning from the firefight, his wound, and the jarring of the truck going over the rough road. Clearly, the roads were falling into disrepair already.

"How long have you known?"

Lisa sniffled, "About two weeks."

They all sat in silence for a while as it sunk in. The truck drove steadily down the road and the guards would just watch the three occasionally cracking a crude joke at their expense.

"If I could have gotten rid of Nori and the army, Nathan would have given up his little crusade. We could have melted away into the mountains and lived out a happy life," Lisa said to no one in particular.

"Did you tell Nathan about his child?"

"I tried so many times, but all he would talk about was his army or Nori this or Nori that," Lisa sobbed again. "I was desperate to do something."

Lisa started to cry uncontrollably again. Brady could only slump his head down against his chest. The sounds of Lisa's crying, the taunting and laughing of the guards seemed to accompany his throbbing and burning shoulder in some kind of ghoulish symphony as they continued on their trip to hell.

The guards made no secret that the prisoners were going to see Khan in Vice-City. They assured Brady he was going to the Labyrinth. But maybe the kid and girl would wind up in one of the brothels. Only Khan could decide.